Common household garbage disposals such as the In-Sink-Erator brand are attached to the bottom of the sink around the drain. Because the entry to such a garbage disposal is then at or below the drain of the sink, it is often the case that knives, forks, spoons and other common kitchen utensils enter the disposal. This is a hazard not only to a person standing at the sink, but also to both the disposal device itself and the items that are inadvertently dropped into it. If the disposal device is turned on while such objects are inside it will likely mangle those items and probably damage the disposal as well and could even cause an object to be ejected with force. Thus, it would be very beneficial to have a means for preventing these foreign objects that are not intended to go into the disposal from ever going down the drain and is, accordingly an object of this invention.
There have been several attempts disclosed in the prior art to solve this problem, many of which use magnetism as a means for preventing objects from falling into the disposal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,818 to Zutell, titled xe2x80x9cMagnetic Flatware Retriever,xe2x80x9d describes such a device. The magnetic flatware retriever described in the ""818 patent clearly demonstrates one of the major shortcomings of the prior art. Magnetic elements that are meant to trap flatware and keep them from falling into the disposal, are positioned in or near the middle of the drain, thereby obstructing the entry to the disposal to any objects including those such as food scraps which are intended to go into the disposal. Such obstructions in the drain and entry to the disposal limit the size of food scraps and other objects that are intended for the disposal from entering the disposal.
The present invention solves the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a means for preventing the entry of unwanted objects into the garbage disposal while at the same time maintaining a clear and unobstructed pathway for food scraps and other items intended for the disposal. The device comprises magnetic means that will attract ferro-magnetic objects, the magnetic means being strong enough to engage and hold the ferro-magnetic objects and thereby prevent them from entering the disposal. xe2x80x9cFerromagnetic objectsxe2x80x9d are objects made of metals which are normally attracted to magnets.
This protection device is shaped and positioned so that an unrestricted passageway is created in the center of the drain allowing the passage of non-ferromagnetic objects into the disposal. The basic shape of the device is a continuous annular ring. The ring is thin measuring approximately 0.125 inches (to about 0.25 inches) between the inner and outer diameters. When installed in the drain portion of the sink (i.e., about the periphery of the drain opening), the protection device reduces the inner diameter of the drain only by less than 0.5 inches. Despite its thin size, the magnet creates a magnetic field of approximately 10-20 magnetic Gauss, the magnetic fields radially crossing to create the strongest portion of the magnetic field in the center of the drain. The magnet is made from an anisotropic magnetic powder that is magnetically aligned and heated to form its proper shape. The magnet is then covered or coated with a polypropylene, epoxy resin, fiberglass, or plastic coating or covering. This covering may be colored red in the preferred embodiment of the invention.
Alternatively, the device may be made of more than one magnetic element. For example, a retaining member may contain two or more magnetic elements that are arranged to form a magnetic ring.
Also disclosed is a method for preventing ferro-magnetic objects from entering a disposal which comprises the steps of providing the protection device described above and positioning it at the periphery of the opening to the disposal.